The Problem.
Various platform devices for boats are known in the background art. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,702,461, 7,867,049 and 7,837,526 issued to d'Offay (the “d'Offay patents”) disclose a floatable workstation including an inflatable base assembly having optional partitions disposed internally within an receiving cavity of a tube to form one or more inflatable chambers, each chamber including a valve for inflating the chambers. A deck attachment/assembly consisting of a plurality of deck boards are connected together to form a work surface/floorboard and are positioned on the upper surface of the inflatable base assembly. A deck attachment textured surface is provided upon the assembly for removably securing the series of deck boards.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,302,902 (“the '902 patent”) issued to Stillman discloses an inflatable mooring station for use with a fixed or floating platform extending over a body of water. The mooring station is attached to the platform. The mooring station includes a buoyant, inflatable body and at least one line tie. The mooring station forms two three-sided docking areas for receiving watercraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,066 (“the '066 patent”) issued to Johnson discloses a floating platform that has a flat low profile for use by swimmers, divers, boaters, and those engaged in other activities on water. The platform is used alone or as a module in combination with other such floating platform modules; attaching the modules to form a larger floating platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,048 (“the '048 patent) issued to Gredy discloses an inflatable raft tethering arrangement that includes an inflatable raft and a tether. The inflatable raft has an aperture and a rigid reinforcement. The tether includes a clasp, a cord, and a suction mechanism. The clasp is secured to the raft through the aperture and the cord secured to the clasp and the suction mechanism. The suction mechanism is attached to a surface to keep the raft in a particular area.
U.S. Publication No. 2006/0003646 (“the '646 Publication”) a towable structure configured to be towed behind a boat while floating above the surface of a body of water.
It appears that no single prior art reference uncovered in the search clearly sets forth all of the elements of the invention. No reference we found discloses an inflatable and floatable boat platform having a “T” shaped opening or cutout that receives the motor(s) and wraps around the sides of the boat allowing the front surface of the platform to engage the transom while shielding the motor from ropes, debris, hands and feet. The references also do not disclose the use of stitch polyester fibers (SPF) to connect the top and bottom surfaces together so as to hold the surfaces together and keep the surfaces uniform and rigid as the platform is inflated. Moreover, the references to not disclose a platform having a top surface that comprises EVA foam.
While the d'Offay references disclose a floatable workstation including an inflatable base assembly that can be tethered to a boat. The d'Offay references to not disclose or suggest a “T” or “U” shaped opening for receiving an outboard motor(s) so as to allow the front surface of the platform assembly to engage the transom of the boat. In fact, the d'Offay references do not even contemplate the desire for an inflatable platform that can fully engage a boat transom. Rather, the d'Offay patents disclose an inflatable workstation design for being tethered to the boat for washing, waxing, buffing or making repairs to the outer surface of the boat to maintain both the function and appearance of the vessel.
Likewise, none of the other references disclose a “T” or “U” shaped opening or opening that could be combined with d'Offay. The '066 patent merely discloses a floating platform. The '902 patent discloses an inflatable mooring station that provides two “U” shaped openings for holding personal watercraft, such as jet skis. The mooring station disclosed in the '902 patent is not designed for receiving an outboard motor to engage a transom, nor does the reference contemplate or suggest such a use, even if possible. The '048 patent discloses an inflatable raft, tether and suction cup assembly for attachment to a surface to keep the raft in a particular area and does not disclose or suggest a design for having the raft engage the transom of a boat. Lastly, the '646 Publication discloses an inflatable towable float designed to be towed behind a boat, which teaches away from and clearly does not suggest engagement with a boat transom.
The foregoing patents fail to disclose an inflatable boat transom platform device that rests against the transom and sides of a boat while enveloping the motor as realized by the instant invention. It is therefore desirable to have such an inflatable boat transom platform that protects the propeller from debris, ropes, hands and feet while providing a comfortable platform for relaxing behind a boat. If there existed such a device it would address the shortcomings in the background art and provide a convenient device for enabling an enjoyable and safe boating, swimming and fishing experience behind a boat. As there are no known devices that provide an inexpensive albeit practical inflatable boat transom platforms, there exists a need for such a device. It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed. The instant invention addresses this unfulfilled need in the prior art by providing an inflatable boat transom platform device as contemplated by the instant invention disclosed.